Makabayan bloc presses House to condemn alleged abduction of 2 Cebu activists
ADVOCATES Cebu-based activists Armand Dayoha (left) and his fiancée Dyan Gumanao have been joining protest rallies in Cebu City to call the attention of the government to act on social issues, including the respect for human rights. —PHOTO COURTESY OF BAYAN CENTRAL VISAYAS
MANILA, Philippine — The Makabayan bloc has filed a resolution urging the House of Representatives to condemn the alleged abduction of two Cebu-based activists, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said on Wednesday.
House Resolution 695 was filed on Tuesday after activists Dyan Gumanao, and Armand Dayoh were reported missing by their relatives on January 10, only to be found alive days later.
READ: 2 missing Cebu-based activists found
“Be it resolved that the House of Representatives condemn in the strongest terms the abduction and enforced disappearance of Alliance of Concerned Teachers Region VII Union Coordinator Dyan Gumanao and Alliance of Health Workers-Cebu Coordinator Armand Dayoha; Be it further resolved that the House of Representatives, through the Committee on Human Rights, investigate, in aid of legislation, the same,” said House Resolution.
The resolution was signed by ACT Rep. France L. Castro, Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel, and Rep. Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas
“We also call on the House leadership and the chairperson of the House Committee on Human Rights to call for a hearing of this resolution, for we fear that the case might be whitewashed by those in power, like what they did with the murder of Manny Asuncion by police operatives,” said Castro in a statement from ACT.
Asuncion was one of the activists killed during simultaneous police raids in March 2021, now called “Bloody Sunday.” Prosecutors at the Department of Justice recently dropped the murder complaints against police officers implicated in the raids.
READ: Murder raps vs. 17 cops in ‘Bloody Sunday’ raids dismissed
“Tumitindi na naman ang atake laban sa mga ordinaryong tao lalo na sa mga naglalantad sa kapalpakan, korapsyon at pang-aabuso ng mga nasa kapangyarihan ngayon kaya marapat na mas maging mapagbantay tayo at isiwalat ang mga atakeng ito,” Castro added.
(The attacks against ordinary people, especially those exposing the failure, corruption, and abuses of those in power, are getting worse, hence we should be more vigilant of these attacks).
